Category Uncategorized

A number of Crystal Palace supporters have been hailing Vicente Guaita after his last-gasp save prevented the Eagles from losing to Burnley.

Patrick Vieira’s side returned to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon following the final international break of the year.

Palace made the trip to Turf Moor to face Sean Dyche’s Clarets, with a thrilling end-to-end contest finishing in a 3-3 draw at Turf Moor.

It was 3-2 to Patrick Vieira’s side by half-time but Maxwel Cornet’s equaliser early in the second half ultimately earned the hosts a point.

It could have been even worse for Palace, however, with Guaita forced into making a big save to deny Chris Wood in the dying moments, with the Eagles’ official Twitter channel sharing footage of that heroic intervention from the 34-year-old along with the caption ‘Viva Vicente’.

Palace fans hail Guaita save

It was a huge moment in the match and these Palace fans took to Twitter to show their love for Guaita, who had been culpable of costly errors in recent weeks such as his fateful kick-out against Brighton.

“Some people wanted him dropped???? Respect VG!”

Credit: @JoeThompson95

“Have absolutely no idea why Vydra hasn’t put his foot through it. What a save though”

Credit: @SamuelMargo

“HUGE”

Credit: @jwgribbin_

“that’s an unreal save”

Credit: @Wheddsta

“And some fans have been demanding he gets dropped”

Credit: @rickyj555

“People calling for this man to be dropped… no idea”

Credit: @Jackcarter98_

In other news, a key update has emerged regarding Conor Gallagher’s future. Read more here.

A permanent deal for Celtic winger Jota will be ‘a no-brainer’, but only if he maintains his current performance levels, according to Alan Hutton. 

The lowdown

The 22-year-old joined Celtic on loan from Portuguese outfit Benfica at the end of the summer transfer window and the Hoops have the option to make the deal permanent for a fee of £6.5m.

He has made a strong start to his spell in Glasgow, contributing to eight goals in his first nine Premiership matches. Among those players who have made at least five appearances, WhoScored have him as Celtic’s third-strongest performer, behind only Anthony Ralston and David Turnbull.

A Bola reported last Saturday that the Hoops were ‘satisfied’ with Jota and were ‘thinking about moving forward to the definitive purchase’. A £6.5m deal would be one of the 10 most expensive outlays in the club’s history.

The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, former Scotland defender Hutton praised Jota’s efforts up to this point, but he also urged Celtic to take their time over the decision, stressing that it is ‘a lot of money’ to spend on one player and warning that they could regret making a hasty call.

The 36-year-old said: “If he can maintain this standard of performances, then that £6.5million would represent value for money.

“I’ve read a lot of people just saying ‘get him signed up now’, but I think you just always have to be careful.

“£6.5million for a team in Scotland is a lot of money, and you don’t want to go maybe a bit early and then realise that he’s tailing off towards the end of the season.

“The best thing to do would be to wait until January, monitor the situation and see if he is still progressing and performing.

“If he is doing that – then it’s a no brainer. I’m very sure Celtic will be happy with his displays and just hoping he can continue to produce – and if he does, they’ll sign him up.”

The verdict

Celtic can play the long game here. Jota is only 22 years old and his recent performances have illustrated his potential.

Parting with £6.5m will clearly put a dent in their budget, but it wouldn’t just help them in the short term. They could easily turn a handsome profit a few years down the line if Jota catches the eye of wealthy European clubs.

Hutton is right to advise Celtic against rushing into a decision, but the evidence so far suggests that the player is going a long way towards meriting a permanent deal.

In other news, Celtic are keeping tabs on this Premier League ace

The spate of low scores at the Feroz Shah Kotla continued, as the Cape Cobras faltered in their pursuit of a modest 114 to lose by 30 runs

The Bulletin by Siddhartha Talya19-Oct-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Dirk Nannes cracked a helmet during his fiery spell•Global Cricket Ventures-BCCIThe spate of low scores at the Feroz Shah Kotla continued on Monday with the Cape Cobras collapsing in their chase of 115 to lose by 30 runs, in the bargain posting the tournament’s lowest total. The good news for them, though, was that they finished second in League B and will play their semi-final against Trinidad and Tobago in Hyderabad, avoiding the dodgy Kotla pitch. There was good news for Delhi Daredevils, too – they were already out of the tournament but ended on a high and gave their fans something to cheer.With the pitch behaving as expected – the ball coming on slowly and the bounce uneven – bowlers from both teams stuck to a plan similar to that adopted by other teams here. While pace helped Cobras restrict Delhi’s batsmen, the home team relied on their spinners to turn the tide and pick up the big wickets – Herschelle Gibbs, JP Duminy and Justin Ontong. Gautam Gambhir, aware of the tricky pitch, opted to open the bowling with Tillakaratne Dilshan and the turn was evident in his second delivery as he trapped Gibbs in front to one that shot in from outside off. Duminy, charged with the responsibility of guiding the innings after Henry Davids’ departure, was castled by Amit Mishra to one that kept extremely low, and Ontong was bowled through the gate, deceived by Dilshan’s flight.Strangely enough, though, the flow of each innings was altered by run-outs that prevented a par score on this track. Dinesh Karthik’s attacking 23 was ended by an all-too-familiar blunder by his partner Owais Shah, while Henry Davids’ dismissal off a direct hit from Pradeep Sangwan at short third man – after putting on an aggressive 27 with Duminy – proved decisive in getting Delhi back in the game.Meanwhile, Dirk Nannes went about his job with typical efficiency; having uprooted Andrew Puttick’s off stump in his second over, he delivered immediately on return for his second spell. Ryan Canning was bowled while attempting a pull and Claude Henderson failed to dig one out of the blockhole. At 78 for 8, there was only one result possible and Yogesh Nagar made swift work of the tail.Delhi’s score was boosted by Shah, who made amends for Karthik’s dismissal with some aggression at the death. He broke a 10-over boundary drought with a six over long-on off Ontong, and helped snatch 35 off the last four overs to give his bowlers something of a target.Karthik had launched a counter-attack after Rory Kleinveldt – who kept a tight line and offered little width – had reined in Delhi by dismissing the openers. After seeing off three overs amid the pressure of a declining run-rate, he stepped up to dispatch Kleinveldt for three consecutive fours. Each delivery varied in length but Karthik adapted brilliantly; a short one was pulled over midwicket, a good-length delivery was driven on the up and a slower ball bowled full was clattered over extra cover. His dismissal pegged back Delhi further, but Shah’s surge towards the end of the innings took them to what turned out to be a match-winning total.While the Hyderabad semi-final between T&T and Cobras promises to be a high-scoring one, the two Australian teams, Victoria and New South Wales, will be wary of what is likely to be on offer in Delhi, with the pitch spoiling a game designed for big hits.

Leeds United defender Robin Koch has provided a positive update on his injury recovery, confirming that his return will hopefully arrive ‘as soon as possible’.

The Lowdown: Koch missing for months

The 25-year-old has made just one appearance this season, having been injured in the opening Premier League game away to Manchester United in August.

It means Koch has now been absent for more than two months with a hip issue and he underwent surgery on the problem in Philadelphia last week.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Defender provides update

Taking to Twitter on Saturday night, following Leeds’ 1-1 draw at home to Wolves, the centre-back gave a promising update on his road back into the first team.

Kock tweeted: “Last week I underwent minor surgery in Philadelphia to correct problems with my hip. I have already started rehabilitation training here and I am giving everything every day to be able to get back on the pitch as soon as possible and help my teammates.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-21/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Big boost for Leeds

While Koch may not necessarily be a guaranteed starter for the Whites, having him back in the fold in the coming weeks will act as a big boost.

Marcelo Bielsa is without a number of important figures from last season and it is showing on the pitch in Leeds’ ailing results, with Koch very much one of those.

His return will allow Bielsa to rotate the squad more and give the manager more options, both in defence and midfield, having been hailed as ‘magnificent’ by Noel Whelan in the past.

In other news, three Leeds players disappointed in the 1-1 draw with Wolves – find out who they are here.

MatériaMais Notícias

O jogo mais interessante da 16ª rodada das Eliminatórias para a Copa do Mundo de 2018 acontece nesta terça-feira, às 17h30, em Barranquilla. Colômbia e Brasil se enfrentam em condições diferentes. O time comandado por Tite, já classificado em primeiro lugar, espera usar o jogo para testar alguns jogadores. Se vencer, a Colômbia dará um passo importante para garantir sua vaga no mundial.

Apesar de já ter presença garantida na Copa, o treinador brasileiro garantiu que a Seleção está motivada e não em uma zona de conforto para enfrentar os colombianos. A volta de Thiago Silva à equipe titular é uma das provas de testes que Tite pretende fazer nesta terça-feira. A Colômbia, apesar de ocupar a segunda posição, está apenas a quatro pontos do Peru, sexto colocado e primeira fora da zona de classificação – o quinto vai à repescagem contra representante da Oceania.

RelacionadasSeleção BrasileiraTite explica ausência de Vanderlei e elogia Colômbia antes de partidaSeleção Brasileira04/09/2017Seleção BrasileiraPaulinho comemora braçadeira e espera jogo truncado com a ColômbiaSeleção Brasileira04/09/2017Seleção BrasileiraSeleção terá Fernandinho e Firmino titulares e Paulinho como capitãoSeleção Brasileira04/09/2017

Local: Estádio Metropolitano, Barranquilla (COL)
Data-hora: 5/9/2017, às 17h30 (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Jesus Valenzuela (VEN)
Auxiliares: Carlos Lopez e Jorge Urrego (VEN)
Onde assistir: TV Globo, Sportv e tempo teal no site do LANCE!
Parcial de ingressos: Não divulgado

​Desfalques: Miranda (cortado após chocar a cabeça em partida contra o Equador) e Marcelo (suspenso).
Pendurados: Miranda, Filipe Luís, Casemiro, Fernandinho, Giuliano, Renato Augusto, Neymar e Gabriel Jesus.

Colômbia – Técnico: José Pekerman

Palpites: A redação do LANCE! acredita na vitória da Seleção Brasileira. Dos oito jornalistas consultados, seis apostam no Brasil, um no empate e um em vitória colombiana.

Celtic were undone by individual errors as their poor form in Europe continued at Parkhead on Thursday night.

Ange Postecoglou’s Hoops now sit bottom of Europa League Group G after they fell to a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Bundesliga giants Bayer Leverkusen.

David Turnbull’s slip allowed Piero Hincapie to capitalise after just 25 minutes before Florian Wirtz chipped over Bhoys goalkeeper Joe Hart just ten minutes later.

The Premiership outfit then struggled to get going in the second half and were stopped in their tracks once again as the ruthless visitors found a third from the penalty spot, with Lucas Hilario slotting home, and that was before substitute Amine Adli fired in a fourth with the last kick of the game.

Anthony Ralston at right-back was one particularly error-prone individual at Celtic Park, but truth be told, there were plenty of other players who struggled against the German giants, including Tom Rogic.

Deployed in the no.10 role, the 28-year-old midfielder failed to have any sort of influence on the game and that much was seen by the fact that Hoops ‘keeper Hart recorded more touches (57) than the man deployed in the playmaking role (45), as per SofaScore.

From that tally, he provided only 22 passes, which was the joint-lowest of any Celtic starter, and again the last thing you want from someone in an advanced role. The Australian could not create a key chance from those attempts either.

In addition, Rogic lost possession a whopping 15 times, which was pretty much with almost every one of his passes. That was wasteful and merely gave Leverkusen scope to further dominate the game.

He also committed two fouls, handing the Germans a perfect opportunity to get the ball back into the box.

You could argue that this sort of sloppiness invited pressure on Postecoglou’s backline and enforced young and inexperienced players like Ralston into making such errors, and at this level, those are certainly punished.

It’s no wonder Rogic lasted just 66 minutes before being hooked. He was appalling and will do well to feature in the starting XI again anytime soon.

AND in other news, Forget Brady: Celtic must swoop for £5.4m-rated machine who can “sprint like Mbappe”…

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell thinks that Celtic may receive an extra £2m in the deal which took Ryan Christie to Bournemouth over the summer, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Nixon’s claim

The 26-year-old left Celtic on deadline day, joining the English Championship club in a transfer which was thought to be worth an initial £2.5m. However, according to The Sun’s Alan Nixon (print edition, p. 61, September 3rd), as cited by Football Insider, the Hoops will bring in an additional £2m for the Scot should the Cherries seal promotion to the Premier League this summer.

They currently sit top of the division after 11 games, and Campbell – who regularly features on Sky Sports – thinks that Ange Postecoglou’s side could receive that seven-figure sum.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-15/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Campbell reacts

When asked by Football Insider if he expects Bournemouth to go up, therefore meaning Celtic would be owed £2m, Campbell said:

“Bournemouth are looking good so it looks likely they’ll get it.

“Extra money is always sweet, especially when it is a couple of million. A couple of million can go a long way at Celtic.

“Get it in the coffers and see where you can spend it.

“This rebuild is going to take a few transfer windows. They still need to strengthen. They need more players.

“Celtic Football Club need to be challenging for the league. A couple of million can help them bring in a couple more players.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed…

Christie was into the final six months of his Celtic contract when he left Parkhead, so it would be great business by the Hoops if they manage to bring in £4.5m in total for the attacking midfielder.

He was free to pen pre-contract terms with clubs outside of Scotland in the summer, so the initial £2.5m fee was better than nothing.

It appears as if it could get even better for Celtic, though, so Hoops fans should be keeping a close eye on how Scott Parker’s Bournemouth side fare over the coming months.

In other news: Journalist reckons ‘fantastic’ Celtic ace could leave, with Postecoglou overlooking him. 

Twenty20 cricket poses a greater corruption threat than the traditional forms of the game, Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said

Alex Brown and Ajay S Shankar23-Apr-2009Twenty20 cricket poses a greater corruption threat than the traditional forms of the game, Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said. However, he says he isn’t perturbed by the IPL’s decision not to employ the services of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.”The board has consistently said it cannot afford to be complacent [about the risk of corruption in Twenty20 cricket],” Lorgat told Cricinfo. “We are mindful that with Twenty20 cricket there is great excitement and money. Put those ingredients into a pot and there is a higher concern.”Lorgat’s sentiments echo those of the ACSU’s chairman, Sir Paul Condon, who last year told the council’s executive board meeting, “the IPL brings with it the biggest threat in terms of corruption in the game since the days of cricket in Sharjah.”There remains a question mark over anti-corruption arrangements for the tournament. The ICC says it offered the IPL use of their security agents for the five-week tournament in South Africa, only to be informed that the Indian league had made its own arrangements.However, Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, denied refusing the ICC’s offer of ACSU staff. “We are using the same system as we did last year,” he saidThe IPL last year formed its own anti-corruption unit, which comprised 10 officers from police and military backgrounds. All were briefed by officials from the ACSU prior to the start of the inaugural IPL.Several ACSU officers were deployed at last year’s IPL – one of whom ejected Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan from the players’ dug-out for not being properly accredited – and briefed IPL officials at length on anti-corruption matters. None will be in operation in South Africa.Bob Nicholls, co-owner of the firm charged with providing security for the current IPL season, said anti-corruption measures were not part of their remit. “The ICC anti-corruption and security unit has various functions that they conduct and those include obviously anti-corruption investigations as well as security,” Nicholls said. “So the part we do is security. As far the corruption part goes we are only involved only as far as it relates to security because there is a crossover. The crossover part is the security. We have no knowledge about the IPL refusing ACSU on board this season.”Lorgat, though, says he wasn’t perturbed by IPL’s decision not to employ the services of the ACSU. “It is not dissimilar to county cricket, in that it is a domestic tournament, and the onus for matters such as anti-corruption and doping lie with the home board,” he said.

Australia 7 for 150 (Hussey 41) beat New Zealand 5 for 149 (McCullum 61) by 1 run
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Nathan Bracken inspired Australia – and weary Twenty20 bowlers the world over – with a sequence of 10 consecutive dot balls from which New Zealand never fully recovered. A late Brendon McCullum onslaught positioned the visitors for a charge at Australia’s modest 7 for 150, but Bracken bookended the innings with a canny final over that left the tourists stranded a run short.Bracken became just the second Australian bowler to register a maiden in Twenty20 internationals with his first over to Peter Fulton, then proceeded to tie down the lively McCullum for a further four deliveries before conceding a run. He was later summoned by his captain Brad Haddin to close out the New Zealand innings, and he did not disappoint.The tourists might have lost by a run, but only did so when Nathan McCullum blasted a four and a six from Bracken’s final two deliveries when the match was all but gone. Prior to those two balls, Bracken had conceded no worse than a single. He finished with figures of 0 for 16; enough to earn the Man-of-the-Match honours.New Zealand’s run-chase began disastrously, when Martin Guptill – just two days removed from a breathtaking half-century at the Gabba – fell to Peter Siddle (2 for 24) in the first over of the innings. Siddle struck again with the wicket of Fulton in his next over and, combined with precise spells from Bracken and David Hussey, served to restrict the tourists to a steady run-rate through the early-to-middle overs.The match appeared headed for an insipid finale until the the New Zealanders roared back into the contest by taking 20 from James Hopes’ final over – McCullum proving the chief destroyer. But a suffocating closing spell from Bracken and a bizarre catch to Adam Voges ensured the result fell the way of the hosts.Voges’ effort to remove the dangerous McCullum (61 from 47) will grace highlight reels for years to come when, in the penultimate over of the match, he claimed the ball at long-on, stumbled towards the boundary, hurled it skywards, tripped over the rope and regathered centimetres from the turf. McCullum remained at the crease to view the replay before eventually accepting his fate.Twenty20 matches are generally vibrant, high-octane affairs, but the opening stanza was decidedly subdued. The tourists countered the bright start provided by David Warner (23 from 15 balls) with a suffocating six-over period delivered by Daniel Vettori and Ian Butler – the master and the apprentice – that yielded 35 runs, and took full advantage of the holding Sydney pitch.Vettori, as has so often been the case, proved particularly troublesome for the hosts, bowling a tidy, flat line that yielded the superb figures of 1 for 23, and included the wicket of Australia’s top scorer Hussey (41 off 39). Vettori was ably supported by the debutant Butler, who finished with 1 for 30, and Iain O’Brien, who conceded 22 runs from his opening two overs but fought back for figures of 2 for 34.The Australians threatened to post a large total when Warner and Haddin (15 off 10) skipped away to a brisk start, but Tim Southee’s dismissal of the captain dampened the pace of the innings. The hosts did not clear the boundary rope until the 15th over – a criminal offence in the 20-over game – and managed only one more before the innings was out.The largest cheers were saved for the arrival of the debutant Moises Henriques to the crease, but those were soon silenced. Henriques, the New South Wales allrounder, was run-out for 1 after facing just two balls, stifling Australia’s momentum in the dash for late-innings runs.

Crystal Palace have entered a new chapter of their history following the departure of Roy Hodgson after four relatively successful if pragmatic years.

New manager Patrick Vieira has been backed considerably in the transfer market with several new exciting additions adding significant strength to his first-team squad.

One of the reasons that the Palace hierarchy were able to finance such an overall was due to their previous work in the transfer market over the last few years.

Chairman Steve Parish had been prudent in the transfer market in recent windows, only spending over £10 million on one player – Eberechi Eze – since the summer of 2017, when Mamadou Sakho arrived from Liverpool.

Another player who arrived in the same season was Alexander Sorloth. The 6 ft 3 beast landed on English shores in the January window for £8.1m after departing FC Midtjylland and he was expected to fire Palace up the top-flight table.

However, things didn’t work out as expected for the now 25-year-old. He started four Premier League games in a row throughout February and March, and after losing all four and failing to find the back of the net, found himself on the bench for the remainder of the campaign.

The following season failed to produce a turnaround in Sorloth’s fortunes as he remained goalless in his first 12 league appearances of 2018/19, leading to a loan spell at KAA Gent.

Another loan spell at Turkish outlet Trabzonspor followed, resulting in the struggling forward producing the best form of his career to date. He managed a magnificent return of 33 goals and 11 assists in 49 outings for the Black Sea Storm, leading to a hotly contested race for his signature.

Norwegian outlet Dagbladet (as relayed by Sport Witness) states Sørloth’s time at Selhurst Park was “brutal”, which is why he was labelled a “failure and flop” at Palace, but after resurrecting his career with Trabzonspor, he had a large selection of potential suitors to choose from.

In the end, he opted to join Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig in an £18m deal just 12 months ago, meaning Palace made a healthy profit on a player who never scored a league goal for them.

The proceeds received from his departure provided a significant boost to the capital club’s coffers, allowing Vieira to bring in his own players following his arrival.

Sorloth only lasted one season in German football after bagging just six goals in 37 appearances for the Red Bulls and has so far failed to find the back of the net for new side Real Sociedad, indicating Palace struck gold by securing such a high fee for his services.

And, in other news…Signed for £26m, released for free: Parish endured Palace nightmare over 31y/o dud